new things..

new keys..

Today I got keys to our new studio and it got me thinking about.. well, keys. What an interesting concept! This tiny piece of metal that instantly grants me access into an entire building and every door and closet inside! (well, not actually all of them). But think about it. Keys are magic. They are specifically cut and molded to fit into a space that is less than 1 inch long and 5 mm thick, deciding as you stick it in and turn it if you are granted access to the other side or not. They are powerful little things!

Its like when Jesus says that He has given us the keys to Heaven (matthew 16.19). I started thinking about how when we are saved we are given the Spirit of God which says that “greater works that Jesus did, you shall do.” (john 14.12) How often I underestimate the power of those keys! And, how often I just plain and simple forget about them or, heartbreakingly choose not to use them. But really, we've been given God's keys-the ones that have the right size and shape to unlock healing, gifting, restoration, joy, peace, satisfaction, and well, eternity!

new jeans..
I just have to say. I've been thinking of and saving for a new pair of jeans for a while now. I went to gap to see if I could replace the daily favs that have just gotten worn OUT! There were no sales going on but! Lo and behold, found the exact same jeans, my perfect size marked at 40% off because there was a hole in the side seam at the bottom. Nothing a few stitches can't fix! Favour of God! I was so blessed! I love when little things happen that just turn an ordinary day into a happy one.


a new studio...

Our jewelry studio used to reside in an eclectic half-finished little loft, where the 2x4’s that constructed the staircase and walls were part of our wall décor. I loved it! It was so cozy and unique. The delightful boutique down the stairs let the muffled sound of acoustic music and snippets of conversations float about. My co-worker and dear friend Laura and I had spent time making resourceful décor for our space. Resourceful meaning low-low budget but still beyond cool. We spent less than $5 and chose to dye hundreds of coffee filters in big bowls of tea, laying them out on the driveway to dry which resulted in the mad chase down the street of the flying filters when the wind came :) a favourite memory, indeed. But they look awesome!

But alas, our time in the cozy comfort of the studio as I knew it came to a close. It became time to move to a bigger space! My boss, the most talented designer of all time as I mentioned before, came back from living overseas and although it was fun seeing how creative we could be maneuvering in just a few square feet of open space, we new it was time to move. As we wait to transition into our spacious new studio, we are temporarily in a, well, make-shift closet-type space. Well, not type, it is a closet. And its splendid. (I’m being serious).

the studio in an elevator..ha!

Yesterday Summer and I were laughing at how we can take the most random space and make it welcoming and peaceful and turn it into a place we actually want to be! I feel like a real artist, stationed in a small room with an old-style window letting in the breeze from 6 stories up, a lampshade tied to a non-working socket in the ceiling, a stack of shelves hosting my ipod speakers and basket for a trash can, a few pipe ends sticking up from the floor so I have to creatively position my chair so I don’t get stuck and my dozens of clear stacking containers holding the parts to create the most beautiful jewelry in existence. And don’t worry, the coffee filters came with, they are dangling from a few pipes that poke out of the walls. Im finding that I love quirks. I think plain, is lame. I love that there isn’t a single other closet space in the world quite like this one. Its like everyday im walking into the kind of place I always think “I want to do that someday” when someone else talks about it. What a gift! Its like living in the middle of a cool story.

The connection to the deeper lesson I see here is that sometimes God takes us out of something we think is really wonderful or cool because He has plans for something bigger and better. Although, we don’t always get the “trade” right away. Sometimes He has something in the middle of the old and the new that has a specific purpose that only the awkward transition time can teach us. Like working in a closet in between an old studio and a new bigger studio. Or the time of searching between an old job that was okay and a new job just beyond the horizon that is a dream. Or the time of saving money between selling an old camera and waiting to buy a new one. It’s an awkward time. But that’s okay. Sometimes its even the point. We get to experience God, the same God as the old and the new, in the middle too. He omnipresence makes it impossible for Him to go away. And He knows exactly how to fill us with peace in the in-between if we would let go of our discomfort and impatience and embrace the transition time and let Him do what He wants to do. If we give Him space to accomplish His purposes right away instead of fighting and arguing and thinking we know what would really be best here and then reaching the end of our rope and deciding to give in and let Him do what He has wanted to do all along, we may get to move onto the next thing, sooner J but who knows. I just want to learn how to embrace seasons and receive the fullness from each one. No matter how easy, hard, challenging or box-breaking it is. Whew. That could be a dangerous statement.